A significant setback has occurred for China and Russia at the United Nations regarding Iran’s nuclear program. The two nations presented a draft resolution aimed at delaying the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran. The proposal, however, failed to pass in the 15-member UN Security Council. Only four countries voted in favor, while nine rejected the proposal, and two abstained. The draft resolution sought to extend the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for six months, until the following April, incorporating the council’s resolution 2231 (2015), which approved it. It also included provisions for continued cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This failure paves the way for the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have accused Tehran of violating the 2015 agreement, which aimed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. All UN sanctions against Iran are set to be reinstated at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Iran has denied these accusations. An American official at the UN welcomed the voting results. However, they stated that it did not eliminate the possibility of lifting sanctions through diplomacy later on. A French envoy to the UN mentioned that the return of UN sanctions would not signify the end of diplomacy with Tehran. The envoy noted that Iran had not shown any indications of wanting to defer the measures, opting instead to postpone everything. Russia’s representative, Dmitry Polyansky, commented on the countries that voted against the resolution, stating that it was now evident that their assurances of focusing on a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program issue over the years were merely empty words.
